It’s story time … for adults. The hit public radio series Selected Shorts returns to Longwood bearing a bouquet of short stories about the wonders of nature. Just in time for Earth Day, experience the series live as host Jill Eikenberry, along with Zach Grenier and Michael Tucker, present verdant tales that will appeal to bookworms, arborists, and anyone who likes to stop and smell the roses.

More about Selected Shorts

Produced by Symphony Space and WNYC Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, Selected Shorts is recorded live as a popular New York City stage show, which began in 1985 and still enjoys sell-out audiences today at the Peter Sharp Theater at Symphony Space on Broadway and 95th Street. As one of the premier reading series in New York City, the Selected Shorts podcast consistently ranks as one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes.

Each Selected Shorts episode and performance has a theme, around which several stories are presented. The stories are always fiction, sometimes classic, sometimes new, always performed by great actors from stage, screen, and television who bring these short stories to life. Evenings are often co-hosted by writers, literary producers, and other interesting characters.

Jill Eikenberry starred in the Broadway productions of Moonchildren, Watch on the Rhine, Summer Brave, Onward Victoria, and All Over Town. Off-Broadway, she won an Obie Award for her performances in Lemon Sky and Life Under Water, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for The Kid. She earned a Golden Globe Award and five Emmy nominations as Ann Kelsey on NBC’s L.A. Law, and received the Humanitas Prize for Destined to Live, a breast cancer documentary she co-produced and hosted on NBC. Her film credits include Arthur, Something Borrowed, Young Adult, Keep in Touch, and In Reality. Television work includes guest roles on Law & Order and Body of Proof. Eikenberry has appeared alongside her husband, Michael Tucker, in the New Jersey Repertory’s production of Tucker’s play The M Spot and off-Broadway in Wallace Shawn’s latest work, Evening at the Talk House. She will appear in Tucker’s latest work, Fern Hill, in the fall of 2019 at the 59E59 Theater. In 2017, Eikenberry made her solo cabaret debut at Feinstein’s 54 Below, with Songs I’ve Sung. She performed her second cabaret, Here I Go Again, at Feinstein’s this January.

Zach Grenier will be appearing in the new FX show Devs, written and directed by Alex Garland,in the fall of 2019. Often recognized for his role as David Lee on The Good Wife, he has also played series regulars on BrainDead, C16:FBI, and Touching Evil; had recurring roles on 24 and Deadwood; and has most recently appeared in Ray Donovan, Chicago P.D., The Good Fight, and Blindspot. His film credits include A Shock to the System, Tommy Boy, Donnie Brasco, Fight Club, Zodiac, J. Edgar, and Crown Heights. Stage credits include Cromwell in A Man for All Seasons at the Roundabout Theatre Company, as well as Senator McDowell in Kings and the role of Dick Cheney in David Hare’s Stuff Happens, both at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Beethoven in Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations.

Michael Tucker is best known for his role as Stuart Markowitz in L.A. Law, for which he received three Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. He has appeared on- and off-Broadway and at most of the nonprofit theaters in New York. His film credits include Woody Allen’s Radio Days and The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Barry Levinson’s Diner and Tin Men. Tucker wrote and starred in the play The M Spot, which was produced at the New Jersey Repertory Company, as was his most recent play, Fern Hill, which will open at the 59E59 Theater in the fall. He is the author of four books: I Never Forget a Meal, Living in a Foreign Language, Family Meals, and his debut novel, After Annie, which was published in 2012. Most recently, Tucker appeared with his wife, Jill Eikenberry, in Evening at the Talk House by Wallace Shawn. They also produced the PBS documentary Emile Norman:By His Own Design

*Gardens Preferred & Gardens Premium Member Discount Gardens Preferred and Gardens Premium Members receive up to 15% off 2018–2019 Performance Series tickets and receive access to the Member Pre-sale. If you are eligible, your discount code was provided to you via e-mail. Use the discount code to unlock your Membership pricing.

Coffee Reception

Enjoy a complimentary coffee reception with the artists after this performance.